Lab-Grown Meat Is First Step to Artificial Hamburger

Lab-Grown Meat Is First Step to Artificial Hamburger

Dutch scientists have used stem cells to create strips of muscle tissue with the aim of producing the first lab-grown hamburger later this year. The goal of the research is to develop a more efficient way of producing meat than rearing animals.

At a major science meeting in Canada, Professor Mark Post said synthetic meat could reduce the environmental footprint of meat by up to 60 percent. Most food scientists believe that current methods of food production are unsustainable. Some estimate that food production will have to double within the next 50 years to meet the requirements of a growing population. During this period, climate change, water shortages and greater urbanisation will make it more difficult to produce food.